Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-07-20

Itshould not be used on cold, heavy or
moist soils, and, if anyone does, he will
be disappointed in tho result, as the
tendency is to keep the groundScool
and moist. 1t will do such soil more
harm than good. It should not be cast
upon very young and tender plants, Of
any kind, as will be very sure ito kill
them Judgement should be employed
IN using 80 strong an agent. I had a
friend who heard me recommend salt on
onion beds. when l strictly urged that
it should be dragged or. worked in
before the seed was sown; but forget
ing what l said, he did not salt until
the onions We're about two inches high,
and it killed them all; but sowing an
other crop properly it turned out splen-
didly; had he waited until the tops were
as big as large pipe-stem he might
have covered the ground an inch deep
and his onions would have done finely.
Onions should be sown on tho same
ground year after year. as they continue
to improve. There are yards ahundred
years old, and their yield would aston
ish the common grower. The tops
when cut off should be scattered over
the ground (do notleave them in lumps),
as they make the best food for the grow
ing onions; then SOW salt, and then put
on acoat of manure. Salt is not much
of fertilizer in itself, though plants
take it up, as you can tell by tasting
and by the stifening and glazing of
straw of plant grown in sailed ground.
think it acts upon and assimilates the
the gross matter in the soil, so rs to
make it available food. 1t should be in
every garden.
THOROUGH WORK.
There is little use to hope for success
without using proper efforts. In the
the growing of crops there must be a
suitable preparation of soil, and if there
are cultivated crops the soil must be
well worked.
We have in a field planted to corn; it
was well plowed, Thoroughly MANFRED,
and the planting properly attended to,
but the crop was hoed only once. The
early growth was vigorous and promis-
ing, but the failure to hoe the second
time caused a partial failure in the ear
ing.
A neighbor thought to secure crop
of rye by sowing a corn6eld after SIM
ply narrowing the field on the removal
Of the corn, and the present condition
fully shows the lack of suitable seed
bed. The rye is thin and small, short
growth, while the other and we'll pre-
pared fields show the plant six feet in
heigth, with heads fully developed and
promising a good crop upon soil no bet
ter than the field first named. There is
no kind of business that shows neglect
sooner than farming.
BEEF AND WHEAT.
With beef at 81 cents pound and
flour at $3.50 barrel, sentiment may
advocate raising beef and growing
wheat, but it is not business. We
take the business end and claim
that the extension of either at
the present time cannot be encouraged.
We would not advocate changing base
with every turn of the tide, and while
the outlook is not encouraging for spec
ial efforts in beef raising, yet there is
still chance to raise steers on the farm
for the double purpose Of work and beef,
and between the two get something of
profit out of the operation. This is what
many farmers are doing, and we believe
they should continue it whether prices
are high or low. Still there is nothing
in the outlook to encourage large opera
tons in this line of work.
FARMERS P1cN1Cs.
Farmers will soon be holding open air
meetings.; and there is no better music
than the human voice for such occasions.
Give us vocal music at these gatherings
by all means. Good singing at any
place is sweet, but outsin the grove it
has peculiar charm to the listener.
How well do remember some charm
ing singing that I heard years ago in a
pleasant grove overlooking the depot
and village, with fertile fields in the
background, in the" town Of Danbury,
N. H., participated in by those most
excellent singers, in that cosy rural
town, assisted by Andover talent. This
town of which 1 write, although quite
broken, can boast of beautiful scenery,
some very fertile farms Especially in
the "Wild Meadows'' section), and
singers such as but very few rural
towns in New Hampshire, probably, can
lay claim to-. Farmers may we'll take
day for recreation now and then, and
the picnic, if it be in pleasant place,
will long be remembered as a happy
OCCASION.
KAvAGEs OF CUT WORMS.
The simplest and most effective reme-
dy for these destructive pests, which
eat the plants off just beneath the sur
face of the soil, is to apply a solution
of saltpetre around each hill close to the
plants. The proportion of saltpetre